The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-09-15

of being elected to represent some particular
district or locality, in which case experience
has shown, they are too apt to act as though
their highest duty was to secure the lowest
possible valuation for their respective con-
stituents." That it was the express purpose
of the Governor to increase the valuation of
all the lands of the state cannot be success
fully denied. The bills to carry out the
proposition have not been voted upon by the
Legislature. 1t may be the Governor is
waiting more convenient season to carry out
his favorite measure. A vote for him now
will be regarded as an endorsement of this
measure. Every farmer and land owner who
supports him will be giving his implied con-
sent to have an increased burden of taxes
placed upon his farms and lands.
ExTRAvAGANr ADMINISTRATION.
Another reason the people of Ohio can not
afford to endorse the present State admins
tration is BECAUSE it has been the most ex-
travagant we have ever had in Ohio. The
appropriations made from the general revenue
fund by the legislature at its first session
to cover the first year of the Foraker admin
istration aggregated the enormous and start
ling sum of S3,O79, s52. SO, while the total
revenues for the same period amounted to
S2, 1855, 80, making excess of appropri-
alton over all revenues of the sum of S324,-
1889 While the appropriations were be-
ing made which caused this immense de-
hciency many Republicans became alarmed
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ance be at once stopped, and among them the
Hon. Seth Brown, of Warren county, Chair
man of the House committee on Finance,
made the following declaration upon the
floor of the House of Representatives:
"I have word to say, and say it in the
way of warning to the Republican members
on this floor. AT the present rate it will be
said, and said truthfully of this Legislature
that it was not only more extravagant than
its Democratic predecessor, but the most
recklessly extravagant legislative body that
ever assembled in Ohio"
1t will be interesting to have this state
ment compared with the resolution of the
Toledo Convention, when they say swe
heartily indorse the administration of
Governor Foraker as wise, prudent, firm and
economical" 1t would also be well for the
Governor to tell the people of Ohio, which
they are to believe. A statement made upon
the floor of the House, when the extravag-
ant work was going on, by leading member
of his own party, and which was not ex-
cepted to at the time by any other
convention on the eve of an election for the
purpose of securing votes.
But the words of warning made at the
first session were not sufficient to end the ex-
travagance then or afterwards and at the
second session appropriations aggregating the
enormous sum of So, ,O93, 454.73 were made
from the general revenue fund while the total
estimated revenue for the year will be only
s., 776, $40, making a further deficiency of
S3l6,634 These enormous and startling ap-
preparations have not been and can not be sue
cessfully defended. 1t is true, Governor For
aker in his Toledo speech, attempts to give
some answers, but they are neither excuses or
defenses. One of his propositions is that his
administration has paid off $S75,0O0 of the
public funded debt of the State. While this
is true, he increased the funded debt by bor-
rowing $50O,0O0, so that in fact the public
funded indebtedness of the State has been de-
creased only 1915, ,000since his administration
began. While under Hoadly's administra-
ton there was paid upon the bonded indebt-
edness the sum of $500, 285, 81 and not dol
lar was borrowed clear showing in favor
of a Democratic administration, upon that ac-
count, of $427, ,285. His second answer in
substance is that even if the expenses of the
State were large since he has been in Office,
the expenses of running Hoadly's admins
ton were large also.
He fails to mention the fact that, during
Governor Hoadly's term of Office, the General
Assembly were called upon to make an un-
usual number of extraordinary appropriations
by reason of floods, riots, the building of the
new asylum for the insane at Toledo, the addi-
tions to the Athens asylum, the establishment
of the new Intermediate Penitentiary, etc.
These extraordinary appropriations amounted
the first year to $342, 57S. IA and the second
year to S682, ,682.16 But if we leave out of
the account all buildings and Improvements
of every kind, and the very large amounts ex-
pended in that way, and consider only the
appropriations made for riots, floods and
storms, we have the following amounts
pended for such purposes alone:
Relief of flood sufferers S1OO, 10000
Expense of Cincinnati riot. 5S,57S.14
Repairing damage to canals caused
by flood of1s84 125, 900. 90
The Hooking Valley disturbance, 4,531.13
To reimburse teachers for losses
by fire at Imbecile asylum. 13,441. 90
To repair damages by cyclone at
Soldiers Orphans Home :. $4,000
Repairing damages to canals
caused by floods (appropria-
tions of 1886 169, 523.3 80
1Otal PtOO, tlJ.OO
Governor Foraker will not say that single
dollar of this amount ought not to have been
appropriated or that he now objects to
single dollar of it being applied as it was.
The total appropriations for all purposes made
during the two years of Hoadly's administra-
ton after deducting the above items amounts to
the sum Of S., 934, ,439, while those made by
Governor Foraker's administration amount to
the sum of Sc, la, 306. Which shows that this
present Republican administration will cost
the people of Ohio the sum of $l3S, 1857 more
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